Ceratosoma brevicaudatum mating

January 21, 2006
From: Leanne & David Atkinson

Dear Bill,
There have been a lot of nudibranchs mating and laying eggs in the Port Stephens area in December and January. We found Ceratosoma brevicaudatum mating and there didn't seem to be any photos of this behaviour on the forum so though we would send this one in.

Locality: Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, NSW, Australia. Depth: 12 metres. Length: 120 mm. 07 January 2006. Sandy bottom with scattered sponges, ascidians and soft corals. Photographer: Leanne & David Atkinson

Regards,
Leanne & David Atkinson

atk@hunterlink.net.au

Atkinson. L. & D., 2006 (Jan 21) Ceratosoma brevicaudatum mating. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15603

Thanks Leanne & David,
I've included a close-up of the gill area of one of your animals, not because it has anything to do with mating but it shows the 'short tail' [brevi = short; caudatum = tail] which gave this species its name. Compare the rounded bump - with the red network pattern - with the massive curved dorsal process of Ceratosoma trilobatum. The red pattern is also interesting because the stumpy tail is where this species stores most of the distasteful chemicals it gets from its sponge food. My theory is that the red pattern is a lure to attract fish to the most distasteful part of the slug and so make the whole slug unattractive to hungry fish.  I have ringed a section of the mantle edge which has a few extra - three in fact - small orange mantle glands.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jan 21). Comment on Ceratosoma brevicaudatum mating by Leanne & David Atkinson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15603

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